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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Development of Improved Chemicals and Plastics from Oilseeds

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/894830· OSTI ID:894830
 [1];
  1. The Dow Chemical Company, External Technology
The overall objective of this program was to develop technology that can be applied to the production of various chemicals and plastics from seed oils. This research and development program included activities in all four key barrier areas identified in the US DOE Technology Roadmap for Plant/Crop-Based Renewable Resources, namely Plant Science, Production, Processing, and Utilization. Participants in the project included The Dow Chemical Company, Castor Oil, Inc., and the USDA Western Regional Research Center (WRRC). The objective of this production task was to evaluate and develop metathesis catalyst technology as a means of utilizing seed oils as feedstocks for the chemical industry. Specifically, ethenolysis of fatty acid methyl esters, FAME’s, leads to functionalized derivatives. These serve as valuable starting points for materials which cascade into a variety of applications, many of which have a current market presence. The relatively recent discovery and commercial availability of a family of metathesis catalysts which are tolerant of polar functional groups and the acquisition and implementation of high throughput synthesis and screening infrastructure led to a prime opportunity to investigate this project area.
Research Organization:
The Dow Chemical Company
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE - Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EE)
DOE Contract Number:
FC36-01ID14213
OSTI ID:
894830
Report Number(s):
DOE/ID/14213-F; ID14213
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English